Safety razor



Aug. 8, 1950 E. H. LAW

SAFETY RAZOR Filed nec. 23, 1944 Patented Aug. 8, 1950 SAFETY RAZOR Edgar Harold Law, Gerrards Cross, England, assignor to Rolls Razor Limited, London, England, a company of Great Britain Application December 23, 1944, SeralNo. 569,458 In Great Britain January 26, 1944 The invention relates tc safety razors of the kind in which the blade is removablyattached to a handlewhich for the purpose, has a jaw-like gripping head, in which the blade is adapted to be engaged and held in position by a pressure member, the invention being more particularly applicable to the case where a comparatively rigid razor blade is used in a contra-distinction to what is known asa wafer blade.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved form of handle for this `kind of razor.

'I-Iitherto, in constructing the handle, the practice .has been to make the gripping head as one piece and the handle proper as a separate piece, the two being screwed or otherwise joined together, the handle proper being provided with a bore accommodating a spring-pressed ball which projects into the gap in the gripping head so as to press upon the blade when the latter is inserted in the head and which is restrained against total ejection by a displacement of the metal at the end of the handle.

It has been found that in order that the razor blade when applied to the gripping head, shall be retained therein with sufficient security, considerable spring pressure has to be applied to the ball. The ball is, for convenience, of small size and, because of the spring pressure necessarily imposed on it, difficulty is experienced in making the restraining means strong enough to ensure that the ball will not be totally ejected from the handle proper when the blade is not present.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a construction overcoming these drawbacks. A further object is to provide a construction which is more robust and serviceable than those of the earlier form, and one which presents no serious manufacturing diiculties.

In accordance with the present invention, the member adapted for applying pressure ,to the blade when inserted in the gripping head, takes the form of a rod or plunger which is accommodated within the .handle proper and is movable for Asolid or resilient .engagement with the blade.

`:Inorder that the invention maybe more readily understood, three embodiments thereof are illustrated `in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional viewgof `the handle acconding `to the first embodiment, the parte being 4shown in `a :position ready for application of the blade;

Figure 2 `isa longitudinalsection partly in elevation of `:the handlaindicatingthe position as- 55 ing the blade `in rearwardly. If `it is not suIii-1 3 Claims. (Cl. 30-62) sumed by theparts when the blade is applied and secured;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that `of AFigure 2, illustrating Athe second embodiment;

Figure 4 is a view again similar to that of Figure 2, but illustrating the third embodiment.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures `1 and 2, `the gripping head l and the handle proper 2, or more strictly speaking, the upper part of the handle proper, are made in one piece as by machining from a `metal blank. The handle proper is divided about midway between its ends into two separa-te parts 3 and 4, the part 3 (the upper part) carrying the gripping "head I having a bore 5 which communicates with the wedge-like gap `l inthe head and accommodates, with a sliding lit, a thrust rod 'l `the upper extremity of which is preferably rounded as indicated at 8 and the lower end of which is engaged in a recess 9 in the top of the other part 4 (the lower part) of the handle proper.

In Lthe .base of the handle part 3 there is provided a screwethreaded recess l!) adapted to receive a screw-threaded reduced portion Il at the upper end of the handle part 4. `The open lower end of therecess ill is preferably enlarged as indicated at I2, so that when the two parts of the handle are `fully screwed together, the enlargement will Vreceive and shield the shoulder `I3 formed at the junction of the screw-threaded portion Il of the handle `part l with the remainder ofthe latter. AThis is clearly shown in Figure 2.

The :thrust rod A'i is of such length that when the handle part 4 is screwed fully into the handle part 3, the upper rounded extremity il of the rod `will project into the gap 6 in the gripping head l `(asindica-ted in Figure '2), while `when the handle part 4 is unscrewed to some extent, the extremity 8 lof the rod will be withdrawn into the bore 5 '(as indicated in Figure 1).

The outer surfaces of the two handle parts 3 and 4 are lmilled or otherwise roughened as indicated at I4 and I5-'in Figure2 `to facilitate a gripbeing obtained `thereon `with the lingers `both in shaving and for screwing `one part `relatively to the other.

"With the `arrangement described and the parts inthe position `depicted by Figure 1, the gap E in .thegripping head will be `free from obstruc tionsoethat the `rear portion of the razor blade lr6 (Figure 2) can readily be engaged in the said gap. If the front opening of the gap 6 is wide enough., this engagement can beeiected bypushciently wide for this purpose, the engagement can be effected by slipping the blade in endwise. If, now, the lower handle part 4 is screwed into the upper handle part 3, the rounded end 8 of the thrust rod I will be moved into the gap 5 in the gripping head I so as to engage with the undersurface of the blade I6 and press the upper surface of the blade against the upper limb of the gripping head7 the result being that the blade will be held firmly but detachably in position.

The lower end of the thrust rod I may fit in the recess 9 with a detachable nt and both extremities of the rod may be rounded so that.

it is reversible.

The embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 is in many respects similar to that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and like reference numerals indicate like parts. In this case, however, the thrust rod 'I is shorter than before and takes the form of a plunger the lower end of which is provided with a flange I'I fitting freely in an enlargement I8 of the bore 5. The enlargement I8 provides accommodation for a compression spring I9 the upper end of which bears against the iiange, while the lower end fits in the recess 9 in the screw-threaded portion II of the lower handle part 4.

With this arrangement and with the lower handle part 4 fully screwed into the upper handle part 3, the plunger 'I is constantly urged upwardly under the influence of the spring I9 so that the upper rounded extremity 8 of the plunger always projects into the gap 6 of the gripping head, the degree of such projection being limited by engagement of the flange I'I with the upper end 20 of the enlargement I8. Provided the degree of proiection is not too pronounced, the rear portion of the razor blade I 6 can be engaged in the gap 6 of the gripping head I by a simple sliding action` while the two handle parts 3 and 4 remain fully screwed together, this being permitted by the cam action exerted by the blade on the rounded extremity 8 of the resiliently mounted plunger 'I. Should, however, the degree of projection be too great for this to be done conveniently. it merelv becomes necessary to unscrew the handle part 4 to some extent so as to relieve the pressure of the spring I9 on the plunger 7. In either case. with the handle part l fullv screwed home` the pressure of the spring I9 acting through the plunger 'I will be suicient to press the upper .surface of the blade I i5 into firm engagement with the upper limb of the grinning head I. so holding the blade in correct position for shaving.

In the embodiment -i'ust described the pressure of the spring I9 on the plunger 'I varies according to the extent to which the lower handle part 4 is screwed into the upper handle part 3. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 4 a springpressed plunger 'I is also used, but in this case the pressure of the spring I9 on the plunger is constant, that is to say, the magnitude of its pressure in the plunger does not depend upon the position of the two handle parts 3 and 4 relatively to each other. To this end, the plunger not only extends through the bore 5 in the upper handle part 3, but is lengthened to extend with a sliding iit, through a bore 2| in the lower handle part 4. The bore 2l opens into a cavity 22 of enlarged diameter which freely accommodates the flange I 'I at the lower end of the plunger and which extends to the base of the lower handle part 4. The cavity 22 is screwthreaded to receive a screw-threaded plug 23.

and the space between this plug and the flangel I'I accommodates the compression spring I9 which maintains the flange I1 normally in engagement with the shoulder 24 formed between the bore 2I and the cavity 22, the plunger being of such length that, under these conditions, its upper rounded end 8 projects into the gap 6 in the gripping head I when the razor blade is absent.

When the blade is in the process of being inserted in the gap 6 of the gripping head I, the pressure of the blade on the exposed rounded headv 3 of the plunger 'l' will cause depression of the plunger against the resistance of the spring I9, whereupon the spring will react to press the upper surface of the blade into contact with the upper limb of the gripping jaw, the blade thereby being held firmly but detachably in position in the gripping jaw.

Should the degree of projection of the upper end of the plunger 'I into the grip 5 be too great for the blade to be readily inserted, it can be reduced by unscrewing the lower handle part 4 from the upper handle part 3 so as to cause withdrawal of the upper end of the plunger to the requisite extent, the two handle parts can thereupon be fully screwed together, the spring I9 allowing the plunger I to accommodate itself to the thickness of the blade. The possibility presents itself of varying the pressure of the spring I9 by adjusting the plug 23.

The construction illustrated in Figure 4 allows the two handle parts 3 and 4 to be entirely separated from each other while leaving the plunger 'I and the spring I9 in situ with the lower handle part 4.

Although in the various embodiments illustrated the gripping head is shown made integrally with the upper handle part 3, it will be understood that it can, if desired, be made as a separate member secured to the said part.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A safety razor blade holder for a blade with a single cutting edge, the said holder comprising a handle divided into two parts, namely an upper part and a lower part. the said two parts having screw-threaded engagement with each other. a grinning head made inteirrallv with the Isaid upper handle part, the said head including a non-resilient jaw overhanging the upper handle part so as to provide between it and the fatter a recess adapted to accommodate the portion of the blade opposite the cutting edge, a hole extending through the upper handle part from the said recess. a rod accommodated in the said hole and having its lower end operatively connected to the lower handle part, the said rod being movable in the said hole so that by rotation. of the lower handle part relatively to the upper handle part the upper end of the rod will proiect into the said recess and, when the blade is in position in the recess, will engage directly with the under-surface of the blade so as to press the upper surface of the blade against the said overhanging jaw, thereby retaining the blade in the said gripping head, the lower handle part being provided with a recess, and a spring accommodated therein in direct contact with said rod.

2. A safety razor blade holder according to claim 1, wherein the said rod is in direct engagement with the lower handle part.

3. A safety razor blade holder in accordance with claim l, wherein the lower end of the upper fhennfdle part is also provided with a recess, the recess of the lower handle part being at the upper enthereof and complementary to the recess of the Iupper handle part, a part of the spring being 'c'commodated in each recess.

EDGAR HAROLD LAW.

REFERENCES CITED 'fae of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Muller Nov. 22, 1904 Greenbrier Jan. 22, 1918 Salemi Mar. 1'7, 1925 Brown Apr. 21, 1936 Grner June 10, 1941 

